> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.xpander.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Power BI

> Learn how to integrate AI agents with Power BI using xpander.ai. Create intelligent dashboards that leverage natural language queries, automated insights, and predictive analytics for real-time, data-driven decision-making.

## About Power BI

Power BI is Microsoft's cloud-based business intelligence (BI) platform that enables users to connect to a wide range of data sources, transform and model data, and create rich visual reports and dashboards.

Key features include:

* **Data connectivity**: Connect to 100+ data sources including Excel, SQL, Azure, Google BigQuery, Snowflake, Salesforce, PDFs, and more.

* **Power Query**: Integrated ETL engine (also in Excel/Dataflows) to clean, transform, and mash up data using M‑code.

* **Data modeling with DAX**: Use Data Analysis Expressions (DAX) to build measures, calculated columns, dynamic filters, and power calculations.

* **Visualizatio**: Drag‑and‑drop visuals, custom visuals via Marketplace, interactive dashboards, report page, Q\&A (natural‑language querying), paginated reports, goals/KPI tracking.

## Authentication Options

Below are possible authentication options you can choose:

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Built-in xpander.ai Auth">
    The simplest way to connect Power BI is by using xpander.ai's built-in authentication:

    1. Go to the **Connectors** section in the sidebar of your xpander.ai dashboard.
    2. Select **Power BI** from the available integrations.
    3. Click **Sign in with Power BI**.
    4. Grant xpander.ai permission to access your account.
    5. Your Power BI integration is now ready to use.
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="API Access">
    ### Generate a Power BI API Token

    1. Log in to [Azure Portal](https://portal.azure.com/).

    2. Create and register an app to access the Power BI API. To do this, in the sidebar, select **Microsoft Entra ID**.

           <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/MfbW8wufR8EyGOUW/images/connectors/power-bi/img_1.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=MfbW8wufR8EyGOUW&q=85&s=7fdf1c67431f62e8411d111e1c1ad2c5" alt="Img 1" width="3366" height="1635" data-path="images/connectors/power-bi/img_1.png" />

    3. Under the **Manage** section, select **App registrations** and click **New registration**.

           <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/MfbW8wufR8EyGOUW/images/connectors/power-bi/img_2.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=MfbW8wufR8EyGOUW&q=85&s=ccb642570003f26b4ca0d2ebd4086fd1" alt="Img 2" width="3044" height="1448" data-path="images/connectors/power-bi/img_2.png" />

    4. Provide an app name and choose the **Supported account types** option that fits your use case. Then, click **Register**.

    5. After creating the app, note down the **Client ID** and **Tenant ID**. You’ll need these credentials later to obtain an access token.

    6. In **Microsoft Entra ID**, go to **App registrations** > **All applications**, and select your newly created app.

           <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/MfbW8wufR8EyGOUW/images/connectors/power-bi/img_3.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=MfbW8wufR8EyGOUW&q=85&s=efa5e93a673b1b94f99887f804351bca" alt="Img 3" width="3191" height="1524" data-path="images/connectors/power-bi/img_3.png" />

    7. Under **Manage**, select **Certificates & secrets**, then click **New client secret**. Save the secret value securely.

           <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/MfbW8wufR8EyGOUW/images/connectors/power-bi/img_4.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=MfbW8wufR8EyGOUW&q=85&s=358e5b83c08030e892d7fa07f627b250" alt="Img 4" width="3225" height="1624" data-path="images/connectors/power-bi/img_4.png" />

    8. Ensure your app does **not** have any admin-consent-required permissions. Follow [these steps in the Azure documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/fabric/admin/enable-service-principal-admin-apis#how-to-check-if-your-app-has-admin-consent-required-permissions) to verify.

    9. In your Power BI account, enable the Power BI Service admin settings by following [Step 3 in this guide](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/power-bi/developer/embedded/embed-service-principal?tabs=azure-portal#step-3---enable-the-power-bi-service-admin-settings).

    10. In the dashboard of your desired Power BI workspace, go to **Manage access** and add your newly created app as a **Member** or **Admin** by searching for its name.

            <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/MfbW8wufR8EyGOUW/images/connectors/power-bi/img_5.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=MfbW8wufR8EyGOUW&q=85&s=6aefc4816e2302ce38b9f70f519b5917" alt="Img 5" width="3226" height="1623" data-path="images/connectors/power-bi/img_5.png" />

    11. Finally, obtain your access token by executing the following request:

    ```bash theme={"dark"}
    curl -X POST \
    -H "Content-Type: application/x-www-form-urlencoded" \
    -d "grant_type=client_credentials" \
    -d "client_id=<YOUR_APP_CLIENT_ID>" \
    -d "client_secret=<YOUR_SECRET_VALUE>" \
    -d "scope=https://analysis.windows.net/powerbi/api/.default" \
    https://login.microsoftonline.com/<YOUR_APP_TENANT_ID>/oauth2/v2.0/token
    ```

    Replace the placeholders with your credentials from previous steps, and store the access token securely.

    ### Integrate Power BI into xpander.ai

    1. In your xpander.ai dashboard, go to the **Connectors** section in the sidebar.
    2. Select **Power BI** from the available integrations.
    3. Click **Other auth options**.
    4. Enter a **connector name**, e.g., "xpander-power-bi".
    5. Choose **Integration User** as the authentication mode.
    6. Select **API Key** as the authentication method.
    7. Paste your Power BI access token into the provided field.
    8. Set the **Auth Type** to **Bearer**.
    9. Save the configuration.

           <img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/MfbW8wufR8EyGOUW/images/connectors/power-bi/img_6.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=MfbW8wufR8EyGOUW&q=85&s=9e26381e1981685b53455ac60714f2de" alt="Img 6" width="3310" height="1679" data-path="images/connectors/power-bi/img_6.png" />
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

## Integration of Power BI into AI Agent

Once you've configured your Power BI account with the authentication option(s) described above, you can integrate it into your AI agent with xpander.ai:

1. In your xpander.ai dashboard, go to the **Agent Configuration** tab and select **Tools**, then click **Add Tools**.
2. Select **Connectors**.
3. Choose **Power BI** with the same **connector name** you configured in the previous section (e.g., xpander-power-bi).
4. Select the available Power BI operations that suit your use case.

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/MfbW8wufR8EyGOUW/images/connectors/power-bi/img_7.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=MfbW8wufR8EyGOUW&q=85&s=de3197b76f4e0e3ed1b4d2ba72a383fc" alt="Img 7" width="3285" height="1657" data-path="images/connectors/power-bi/img_7.png" />

## Expose Power BI as MCP Server

Alternatively, you can also expose your Power BI account as an MCP server. To do so:

1. Go to the **Connectors** section in the sidebar of your xpander.ai dashboard.
2. Select **Power BI** with the same **connector name** you configured in the previous section (e.g., xpander-power-bi).
3. Click **MCP Configuration**.
4. Enter the MCP configuration into the appropriate settings of the client app you want to use (e.g., Cursor, Windsurf, Claude Desktop, etc.).

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/xpanderai-099931d1/sRFk58mKeQVVrCwf/images/connectors/power-bi/img_8.png?fit=max&auto=format&n=sRFk58mKeQVVrCwf&q=85&s=923327cb61d6de34a3dd9708fcf43d36" alt="Img 8" width="3322" height="1657" data-path="images/connectors/power-bi/img_8.png" />

## AI Agent Power BI Prompt Library

Below are possible prompts or use cases you can try after integrating Power BI into your xpander AI agent:

```
Can you show me all available dashboards in the system?
```

```
Create a new dataset with name {dataset_name} and connection string {connection_string}.
```

```
Can you add new rows to table {table_name} in dataset {dataset_id}?
```

```
Can you clone report {report_id} in workspace group {group_id} with new name {new_report_name}?
```

## Related Resources

* [Understanding Model Context Protocol (MCP)](/guides/deploy/mcp)
* [Power BI API Documentation](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/rest/api/power-bi/)